You Won't Ever Be Lonely
by Usagi Carter
Summary: A yearly tradition for the saviors of the Wizarding World's second war marks the changes in their lives the last five years, and means some new changes for a few. Post War, AU


**You Won't Ever Be Lonely**  
**By: Usagi Carter**  
**Last Revised: March 24,2019**

**Summary: A yearly tradition for the saviors of the Wizarding World's second war marks the changes in their lives the last five years, and means some new changes for a few.**

**Setting: Post War, AU**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything having to do with HP. This is my first time dipping my toe into JK's sandbox, but this is not my first fanfic. I realize Hermione might come off as a little OOC, again, apologies. Constructive comments only please. Flames will be ignored as they die a horrible death in my trashcan. I also do not own the song that this story was inspired by, that belongs to Andy Griggs. And the Tim and Faith song mentioned is "It's Your Love" which is one of my all-time favorite love songs and I think it fits the couple I used it for so well. **

**Dedication: For Kyonomiko – for always responding to reviews (even when I leave half-baked ones) and being such an inspiration. And for John, even though he will never read this, thank you for being my heart and soul 😊**

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**Friday**  
**May 2, 2003**

The club was packed to the rafters with young adults as the group walked in. Music was pumping through the sound system, something foreign none of them had ever heard. People were on the dance floor, shaking their bodies together in what looked like an odd form of line dancing. Standing at the top of the stairs, the group of sixteen surveyed their domain for the night, just like they did every time they stepped through the doors. It wasn't uncommon for any of them to come in during the weekend, in any type of combination – sometimes it was couples, other times just girls or boys, sometimes it was the smaller groups of friends within the fairly large group.

Tonight was different; just as it was each time they'd visited on this day in the last five years since the Second Wizarding war had ended. They were all subdued by hours of reporters, ministry functions, and somber celebrations. They had made it somewhat of a tradition on the night of this particular anniversary to get together to just forget for a few hours that they had been teenagers fighting in a war none of them had asked for.

"I feel incredibly underdressed tonight," Ginny grumbled as they moved down the stairs and headed for the back of the club where they were more likely to find their reserved tables together. She was wearing a pair of black slacks, a pink halter top and one of her husband's white dress shirts over the top of that.

"What the hell are these atrocious clothing choices?" Pansy questioned from her place by Ginny's right shoulder. She was wearing a short black dress with lavender silk overlay and clung to Theo's hand tightly.

"Looks like its theme night," Blaise Zabini grinned, his eyes twinkling as he took in the groups of muggle women walking around the club in skimpy shirts and tight blue jeans. His hand was clasped firmly in the grip of the pretty blonde at his side. He was thankful she didn't mind him looking, secure in the knowledge, he knew, that he loved only her. He turned to check on her and watched her dreamily smiling as she took in the club before her before her beautiful eyes met his. "Ready to have fun, Ms. Lovegood?"

Before Luna could respond, a voice spoke up. "Country theme, if the clothes and music are anything to go by," Harry laughed, tugging Ginny's hand as he led the group through the dance floor while Blaise followed closely with Luna.

Neville and Hannah shook their heads and followed them while the others kept looking around. "Someone explain this to me, please?" Daphne groaned as she and Seamus held hands.

"It's a popular type of music in America," Astoria informed her older sister as Dean escorted her down the steps, his hand on her back to keep her from getting lost or jostled. Both of them were enjoying being with each other as a date without stress over any type of commitment, though both were hoping to go exclusive soon. Astoria smiled. Dean always put her at ease, and she enjoyed being allowed to be herself in his presence.

"That guy singing kinda looks like Ron," Lavender laughed, nudging her husband in the side and pointing while Astoria and Daphne giggled upon seeing him. Ron's face went as red as his hair at his wife's comment because, yes, the guy up on stage looked like he'd fit right in with the Weasley family.

The final two members of the group followed silently as they walked close together. They weren't a couple like most of the others, just very close friends. "You forgot to check to see if they were doing a theme tonight, didn't you?" the brunette woman asked the tall blonde next to her, who chuckled and nodded. "We stick out like sore thumbs."

"It'll be okay, trust me," the blonde bent his head to her ear even as they continued to walk. "Do you want something to drink?" he motioned to the bar once they joined the group at the four tables that they found that had been reserved for them. Draco had remembered to do that at least, as this place was always busy on the weekends.

"Tequila, Malfoy, and lots of it," Hermione grinned in his direction as she took his jacket and folded it across the back of the empty chair next to her.

Draco nodded and headed for the bar to start a tab while the others got settled. "So, can anyone dance to this kind of music?" Hannah asked, gesturing to the dance floor.

"The beat isn't bad, and most of the songs so far sound fairly modern," Harry responded over the loud music. It was then that the beat changed and a slower song started, drawing couples out onto the dance floor. It took Harry only a few seconds to recognize the song. Reaching out, he took his wife's hand and tugged.

"Harry?"

"It's our wedding song," he grinned, his face glowing. Ginny cocked her head to the side for a second before she too recognized the Tim McGraw and Faith Hill hit that her husband had requested as their first dance song at their wedding. Blinking away tears, she allowed Harry to draw her out onto the floor.

The girls all let out 'awws' as Harry and Ginny swayed to the song they'd all fallen in love with three years before at their wedding. Hermione smiled wistfully as she watched the pair, having helped Harry pick out the song. The pair had been trying to put together a playlist of muggles songs to mix in some of how Harry had grown up into his wedding reception and her mother had suggested the song. It spoke volumes of how Harry felt about Ginny. "Hermione?" Daphne asked, leaning around Seamus toward the brunette witch.

"Hmm?"

"What's the name of the song again?"

"'It's Your Love'" she responded, watching her two best friends slow dance. Her eyes slowly left them and took in the others in their group. Pansy was sitting on Theo's lap, their heads leaning against one another while the pair talked to Blaise and Luna, who were sitting at the same table with them, fingers linked. Dean and Seamus were in the middle of a conversation, as was Daphne and Astoria, who were giggling and watching Harry and Ginny dance to their song.

Ron and Lavender were sitting back, her best friend's arm wrapped securely around his wife's shoulders, their heads leaning together while Hannah and Neville sat with them, the former trying to get the latter to dance with her while Lavender and Ron egged her on, doing their level best to get Neville to loosen up. She took a deep breath and beat back the tiny pang she felt in the vicinity of her heart. She wasn't jealous of her friends, just envious that most of them had found someone to spend their lives with. While she wasn't technically the only single woman in the group, she had little doubt that Neville and Dean would be making it official with their respective dates. Having known Neville for over half her life, she could say with some authority that Hannah was so deeply entrenched in his heart that he couldn't imagine his life without her; he was just still a little shy, but Hermione surmised, that was part of his charm. And Dean had been seeking out Malfoy's assistance with Astoria, as the blonde Slytherin had dated the petite woman once upon a time and now considered himself her older brother figure since they hadn't felt anything beyond a deep friendship.

And lest she forget, there was Draco, who she spied standing at the bar getting their drinks. His love life was far more adventurous than any of theirs, having his pick of the cream of the crop from both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds. He wasn't interested in commitment at the moment, he just liked to have fun.

Her own love life was as barren as the desert landscape, when compared to those of her friends. Since she and Ron had amicably split four years before, there had been very few first dates and even fewer second ones. She spent most of her time buried in books and research and building her career. She still made time to be with her friends doing normal things people their age did, but most wizards were intimidated as hell about approaching her for several reasons – she was a war heroine, she was labeled the brightest witch of their age, she was friends with the Chosen One and Draco bloody Malfoy. It also didn't help that her male friends were overly protective of her, especially since the stalker incident a few years ago. She shuddered to think of what might have happened had Draco not been insistent that he escort her home to her flat or that he'd wanted some of the homemade cherry pie Molly Weasley had baked for her.

It wasn't as if she couldn't take care of herself – she had helped Harry beat Voldemort of all people – but the incident in her bathroom had proven to be one that stuck with her. Feeling safe in her own home, she'd left her wand in the kitchen and had gone to change into her pajamas when the psychotic wizard had struck out at her in her own bathroom, screeching about her being his and how could she bring Malfoy into her home and betray him like she had. To say she'd been stunned and surprised had been an understatement. Before anything could happen, thankfully, Draco had hexed the insane man into unconsciousness before calling the Aurors to come pick him up.

Since then, the main men in her life had been her friends and her father. Watching Ginny and Harry finish their dance, though, brought another, slightly stronger twinge of envy. Sometimes she wished she had what they had found in each other – someone to share her life with, despite all its ups and downs.

"Tequila for the lady, as requested," Malfoy interrupted as he set the shot down in front of her, drawing her attention away from her friends. She looked at him for a second like she didn't recognize him before smiling and nodding her thanks. She knew Draco's eyes were on her, narrowed, trying to scrutinize what was wrong with her. "Stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?" he queried, sliding onto the stool next to her as Ginny had taken the one on her other side and Harry on Ginny's other side.

"Everything okay?" Harry gently asked, reaching for his own shot glass with a nod to Malfoy in thanks.

"I'm fine. Malfoy's paranoid and acting like a git," she muttered, downing her shot without the salt or lemon.

Ginny giggled, Harry coughed trying to hide a smile and Draco just looked at her, one eyebrow raised as if he was about to let out a scathing remark. "But I'm your git, so deal with it," he muttered, just loud enough for her to hear before he downed his own shot. "Now, it's time to work my magic," he grinned before leaving the table and heading for the dance floor.

She was slightly tipsy on the Tequila. She knew this, which is why she knew it was only slightly. Everyone else was out on the dance floor, trying to learn to line dance while seven empty shot glasses – all hers – kept her company. She wasn't out there because it seemed it was a couples only kind of dance and after three hours of being there, no one had dared come to ask her to dance and she had no driving desire to go find some cute cowboy. Besides, as far as she could tell, every guy within eyeing distance had a girl attached to him. The tipsy, fuzzy, slightly angry part of her wondered if she left right that instant if anyone would notice. She shook her head, knowing she wasn't being fair to her friends. Today was not the day to feel animosity toward them for wanting to have a little fun. Today's date sucked, it was only fair that they were all having fun to forget.

"Geez, has he no decency?" Ginny grumbled through a laugh as everyone returned to the tables. At Hermione's raised eyebrow, Ginny gestured to the left. Hermione's eyes caught sight of Draco, several tables away, sitting with a pretty, bubbly, obviously drunk blonde in his lap. What's worse was he was hand feeding her nachos from a plate in front of them.

"That's Draco for you," Pansy grinned, plopping down on Theo's lap before yawning.

"Mi, haven't you gone out to dance?" Dean asked as he and Astoria walked past her table, drawing everyone's attention to her. She smiled though her lips trembled and shook her head no. "Why not?"

Ginny and Harry both knew the answer, as did Blaise and Luna, while the others looked on to see how she'd answer. Her usual partner was several tables away and had been ignoring her tonight. "Doesn't really matter," Hermione shrugged it off. The alcohol was starting to make her emotional and she really hated that. The longer she stared at him, the worse it got. She could hear both Harry and Blaise let out a string of curses while trying to keep Ginny from heading down the way to Bat Bogey Hex him in front of a bunch of Muggles.

She hated feeling like this; hated to acknowledge that she wasn't as self assured as everyone thought her to be. In her heart, she knew it was fruitless to pine and yet, damn it, she was a young woman. Young women were allowed to pine occasionally. The problem was, she only did so when there was alcohol involved to lower her normally strong walls.

She and Ginny had talked about it extensively when Ginny would come spend the night during Harry's long missions after he became an Auror. Of course, nothing could be easy in the love department for Hermione. School, career, other avenues of life came to her as easily as you pleased. Love did not. And the reason it did not, the reason she went on so few first dates and fewer second ones, was sitting with a petite, practically teenaged blonde sitting in his lap, sucking nacho cheese sauce from his fingers.

She had feelings for Draco-fucking-Malfoy.

And they were not feelings that were reciprocated.

He was one of her best friends, her sparring partner, and her knight in shinning armor (according to the man himself). But he only saw her through the lens of former enemy turned friend. She had resigned herself to that nearly a year ago. But sometimes…... sometimes it was just so damn hard to feel so much and not have an outlet.

Ginny knew; therefore, Harry knew. And the only reason Blaise and Luna knew was because of the unfortunate incident during last Christmas when she stumbled upon Draco having liaisons in his parents' library with some busty brunette. Hermione could have sworn the girl was a blonde though, based off her conversation skills earlier in the evening.

She'd been more than a little drunk then and had managed just barely to not be seen as she ran from Malfoy Manor in tears. Or at least she'd thought so. Blaise had caught her before she could splinch herself as she tried to apparate home. He'd gotten her back inside, gotten Luna, and the pair had taken the floo back to her house. While Luna had found a sobering potion and made some food in the kitchen, Blaise had held Hermione as she spilled her guts out, crying into his chest, in the living room of her flat. For some odd reason, now that she thought about it, he'd not been all that surprised that night.

After that unfortunate incident, she'd asked all of them to never mention it again and had gone on like nothing had changed, when really, nothing was the same. As it was, she and Draco had begun spending less and less time together because his new work in the Auror office took him to parts unknown and her work in the Department of Mysteries had kept her sequestered in her office more often than not. In fact, she hadn't seen him in nearly two months before this night. Between that and a fairly serious rumor that he had been seeing a friend of Fleur's from France they barely saw each other anymore.

Deciding to salvage what was left of the night, Hermione stood and gathered her things. The group stared at her, finally realizing she was leaving, and began protesting. "Guys, really, enjoy your night," she told them sincerely. "I promise, I'm fine. I'm going to head home, feed Crooks, and curl up with a good book in the bath."

She turned to leave and found herself walking into a familiar, muscular chest. She closed her eyes against the tears as familiar arms closed around her to steady her. "And where do you think you're going?" he drawled, stepping back to look down at her.

"Home, where I belong," she brushed him off, moving away from him and toward the door. She hadn't gotten more than two feet away when slim fingers closed around her wrist, halting her progress. Her temper flared drastically and she took several deep breaths to push it down before turning to stare at him.

"Mi," he started, looking confused and upset. "What's wrong?"

She stared up into his lovely silver eyes and tried not to drown in them. It was such a loaded question, and she struggled with how to answer him. "It was a mistake for me to come tonight, let's leave it at that." With that, she tugged her wrist from his grasp and fled the club.

Sighing, she let the silk robe she'd changed into slide to the floor. Carefully, she stepped into the claw-foot tub and settled into the bubble bath she'd drawn for herself. Crookshanks was fed, her floo was closed, her wards up.

She was going to spend the rest of the night undisturbed and doing as she pleased. It was nearly one o'clock in the morning and instead of being sleepy she was wired. Leaning back in the tub, she closed her eyes and let her mind drift while she soaked.

She knew the others were worried about her, and that her abrupt departure tonight would lead to some questions she wasn't so sure she wanted to answer in the light of day, but at that moment she found she couldn't work up enough to care.

They were a fairly tight knit group of friends, but she had decided when she'd gotten home that she'd be spending less time with them in the weeks to come, until she could get her emotions under control and seeing Draco with some random woman didn't shatter her heart continually.

She hated feeling like this, feeling like a weak, emotional mess but damn it, she was still young. She was allowed. Despite her always being the rock on which the group leaned on, the steady presence for everyone else, sometimes she just wanted to let loose the emotions she normally held very tightly in check. There was no point in ruining her friends' happiness with her sour moods until she felt like the version of her everyone knew so well again.

Blinking away the blasted tears she tried not to cry, she shook her head when she heard Crooks meowing from the living room. He was never that vocal this late at night, not unless one of his favorite people was present. And since all of those people were currently still at a bar in Muggle London, she was slightly confused by him.

Choosing instead to ignore him, she closed her eyes again and sighed, her mind drifting to the multiple chores she had to do this weekend and wondering if she could squeeze in a surprise visit to her parents' house. Maybe what she needed was to spend some time with her mother complaining about men and cuddling with her father on the couch, just like the old days.

"Wanna explain why your floo is closed and your wards are so freaking hard to get through?" an angry voice demanded from the doorway, causing her to jerk awake. She let out a short scream, reaching for her wand to start hexing whoever it was when she caught sight of one of her best friends leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, flaming silver eyes boring into her.

"What the fuck, Malfoy!" she yelled, her anger rising. "The floo was closed for a reason, my wards were up for a reason. Did you stop to think of why that was?"

"No, I didn't, Mi. I came over here intending to find out what the hell happened tonight and found I had to let myself in, the muggle way!" he shouted back.

"That key was given to you in case of an emergency. I don't see how me leaving a club early is an emergency! Get out!"

His body practically vibrated with anger. "Hermione," he hissed, eyes darkening and narrowing to slits.

"Go away, I'm begging you, just go away," she desperately pleaded with him.

"No. You have got five minutes to get out and get dressed or I'm coming back in here. We are going to talk about what the fuck is going on!" he hissed before he turned and left the room.

Thoroughly pissed, she slapped a hand down in the water, splashing it all over the place. She thought about ignoring his threat for a few seconds, but was well aware he'd come back in and it would not be pleasant if he had to get her out of the tub himself. Shaking her head, she tugged the plug on the tub and climbed out of the tub.

After she was dried off and had her robe wrapped around her, she walked into her living room and found Draco sitting on the couch, Crookshanks on his lap purring up a storm. "What the hell do you want, Malfoy? It had better be damn important," she spoke, alerting him to her presence and watching him flinch when she used his surname instead of his given name

"I want to know what happened tonight? Why the hell did you leave?" he demanded as he tried to reign in his temper. Draco was not used to being confused, especially when it came to her. She was usually straight forward with him, and there was little she kept from him since they'd become so close.

Hermione glared at him, angry that he was demanding an explanation she didn't want to, let alone felt she couldn't, give. "Because I'd had enough to drink and I didn't want to be there anymore."

He glared right back at her. "Stop lying to me and tell me what the fuck is wrong. Did someone say something to you?"

Closing her eyes, she let out a humorless laugh. She could feel her head swim as she opened her eyes again and stared at him. "No, no one said anything to me," she hissed. And that was part of the problem, no one had approached her all night, and not wanting to make her friends' night suck, she hadn't complained about it. Granted, she could have tried harder by approaching someone but damn it, she didn't want to look desperate and like the odd person out.

"Mi, I haven't seen you for two fucking months, talk to me!" he complained, carefully setting the cat down on the couch before he got up and walked toward her.

His eyes widened in shock when she retreated from his advancing figure. "Just go home, please. I'm perfectly fine. We will talk about this tomorrow." Turning her back to him, she made to go back toward her bedroom.

"Mi…" he breathed her nickname so achingly soft it caused her to halt. It wasn't fair, she thought sourly, that he could say her name like that and make her hurt.

"Please, Draco, go home," she uttered, her voice just as soft as his.

"What did I do?" he asked, causing her to stiffen when she felt his breath on the back of her neck and his arms sliding around her.

Shaking her head, she pulled away from him. "Nothing, you haven't done anything, just please, leave me alone."

"I'm sorry I didn't send you an owl to let you know I was okay. If it makes you feel better, I didn't let my mother know either."

"Harry and Kingsley kept your mother and I informed of how you were, we both understood you were undercover. You have nothing to apologize for," she reassured him, once again making her way toward her bedroom.

Sighing, he continued to stand there and watch her. "Then talk to me, please," he practically begged. The tone alone brought her up short; she'd never heard him speak in such a tone. If he was in his right mind, he'd have made a snarky comment about how Malfoy's didn't beg.

It was that alone that made her stop before she stepped through her door. Turning to look over her shoulder, she caught his gaze and gestured toward her room, thinking how much she was going to regret inviting him to join her.

Not wanting to break what seemed to be a generous mood, Draco quickly followed her into her room. It wasn't a new thing for them, wasn't even the first time he'd been in her room. He'd slept over plenty of times, sharing the bed with her when one or both of them were too drunk to move or neither of them felt like being alone.

Sinking down onto the bed, Hermione felt the world spin around her, causing her to let out a gasp as she laid back. "Are you alright?"

"Being partially drunk and being angry don't mix so well," she muttered, closing her eyes. She let out a little sigh of contentment when he crawled into bed with her and pulled her close to his side, her head moving to his shoulder.

Keeping her eyes closed, she silently wondered how long they could remain like this before reality kicked in. She was instantly angry with herself; hadn't she just been lecturing herself on staying away from him awhile?

She shuddered when she felt his warm breath tickle her face and felt the tip of his nose nuzzle her cheek. "I missed you," he murmured, holding her tighter, his free hand moving to rub up and down her back.

"I missed you too," she spoke, her voice sincere. She really had missed him; he just didn't need to know how much.

"I'm sorry I didn't hang out with you tonight," he responded after a few minutes. "I was coming back to the table when you left so suddenly."

She sighed and burrowed closer to him. "After being undercover, it's understandable that you'd want to have a good time."

"Yeah, well, I had a bloody awful time," he informed her, causing her eyes to pop open.

"Then why the hell were you letting her sit on your lap and lick nacho cheese from your fingers?" she demanded, suddenly angrier than before. In fact, Hermione realized she was so angry that she pushed away from him and sat up.

She smirked at his huff of annoyance as he scrubbed his hands over his face. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

Sighing, Draco sat up and moved so they were facing each other. He silently studied her, obviously trying to determine if he should tell her the truth or not. She watched his eyebrow quick as if in challenge before he answered, "I wanted to make you jealous."

"You fucking prat," she growled, losing all rational thought as she reached out and smacked the back of his head. "Mission accomplished!"

The brunette couldn't even enjoy the surprise on his face, she was so upset at him. "Excuse me?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly.

"You're lucky I didn't have anymore alcohol and that I wouldn't waste good Tequila, otherwise I'd have marched over there and tossed a shot in her face and yours." Angrily, Hermione stomped out of her bedroom toward the kitchen. She was seething from what Draco had just admitted to her. Blinking furiously, she decided her tequila buzz had worn off and she needed something stronger to help her cope. Not her usual method by far, but the night seemed to call for it.

Reaching into the cabinet next to the stove, she got a tumbler down and was just reaching for the Firewhiskey in the pantry when two muscular, warm arms wrapped around her waist and a pair of soft, smooth lips found the back of her neck. She froze, unsure of what to do.

"Mi, please, don't run away from me," he begged into her hair.

"You wanted to make me jealous!" she hissed furiously. "I just don't understand you sometimes. Why?" she finally prodded him with her question, needing answers.

"You aren't stupid, Hermione, you know why."

A frustrated growl emitted from her as she turned in his arms. "No, Draco, I don't. Spell it out for me."

"Hermione!"

"Draco, you over-estimate my ability to read men. Just because three of my best friends are men doesn't mean I understand the gender any better. Case in point," she finally stopped, staring into his eyes. "My dating history speaks for itself."

The blonde stared down at her, scrutinizing her face. She really had no clue, he realized as she gave him a pleading look. "Hermione, I'm sick and tired of fighting for your attention. Since Christmas, you've been a moody bint when we're together and that's if I can get you to be around me. Most of the time you're avoiding me like the plague. Are you ever going to tell me why?"

Her heart jumped up into her throat. She couldn't very well tell him she'd seen him naked in the library with his date last Christmas. He'd ask too many questions about why it bothered her and she couldn't, let alone didn't want to, give him a truthful answer when she knew her feelings would never be returned. Besides, he was skirting answering her question as well.

"I just…" she started, then shrugged hoping beyond hope he'd let it go.

"Hermione, what happened at Christmas?" he angrily demanded.

He stared at her so intently that she had to look away or she knew she'd blurt out her secret. Of all the people she knew, Draco was the only one with the ability to just stare at her to get her to talk. "Nothing," she whispered, starting at the floor to their right.

"Hermione."

It wasn't even a question, and part of her started to refuse to answer it but the larger part of her just finally gave up. She wanted her relationship with him to go back to normal but knew it never would. "I saw you in the library," she admitted, trying to downplay the incident.

Draco was thoroughly confused until he realized what she saw. Then, as if a light bulb went off he swallowed hard. "Oh…sorry. Guess you'd be put off by seeing your best friend naked."

Hermione's head snapped up, the look she gave him incredulous. Was he serious? Did the man not have any clue that he was fecking gorgeous? It was then that it hit her – she was going to have to dig into that well of Gryffindor bravery and tell him, regardless of the outcome; whether or not he ever returned those feelings, she knew with sudden clarity she had to get this off her chest.

"Draco." He didn't look up. "Draco, look at me, please," she entreated. She smiled when his eyes met hers. "It hurt, seeing you with her, like that."

"Hurt?" he questioned, repeating her.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione reached out to play with the buttons on his shirt. It's not like she'd forgotten he hadn't answered her question either, but she figured what the hell. "I like you, Draco, as more than a friend. Seeing you with her, after I'd realized that…it hurt."

"Mi, love, look at me," he whispered, reaching out to lift her chin. When she was looking at him, he smiled gently. "Why didn't you tell me before now?"

Hermione looked shocked that he didn't understand why. "Have you not noticed the type of girls you date?" she demanded. "Young, sexy models that I can't ever hope to compare to in the looks department. I'm not model material. It's felt like a hopeless situation, and part of me really hoped I could get over it if…"

"You distanced yourself, from me," he gruffly supplied.

She nodded. "I'm sorry, I just never figured you could ever…"

"Fuck Mi!" he growled, yanking her into his arms, kissing the top of her head. "I'm in love with you, I've been in love you for so long! I just never thought you could love me back, so I lost myself in distractions."

Tears spilled down Hermione's face as she listened to his confession. She had her answer now, as to why he'd been trying to make her jealous, but she'd never have imagined it would be this. "Draco?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you," she murmured before she leaned up on tip toes to kiss him.

The moment their lips touched, it was like fireworks exploding around them. Draco groaned at the taste of her, after long last. He'd been imagining what she would taste like but the reality of it blew his dreams out of the water.

Hermione felt herself lose control as he devoured her. She softly moaned and pushed herself as close to Draco as she could. She let out a startled gasp when she felt his hardness poking her in the stomach. Without thinking, her hand grazed down his chest and settled over the bulge in his dress pants, her fingers wrapping around him as best as she could through his clothes.

Draco hissed in surprise, ripping his mouth from hers and settling his forehead on her shoulder. Hermione trembled in his grasp, her breathing harsh against his shoulder. "Fuck," he murmured, turning his face into her neck. His arms were locked around her waist, fingers digging into her hips as they flexed and unflexed, leaving momentary finger shaped bruises. "I fucking need you so bad it hurts."

Hermione let out a startled breath, pulling back and tipping her face up to look into his. She was hit with a moment of disbelief and self-doubt. After all, she reasoned, she wasn't like the girls he usually dated; she wasn't model material. The twin emotions must have flashed across her face, especially her eyes, because Draco's narrowed and he huffed impatiently. "I love you," he breathed, trying to calm his erratic heartbeat.

Hermione saw the pulse in his neck jumping due to the fact that her eyes were also riveted as they usually were on his Adam's apple.

Biting her lip, Hermione looked down to where his hands were leaving her hips to take a hold of her own hands. She brought her head up as he brought her left hand up, kissing the back, then turning it over and laying kisses on her palm and inside her writs. He then placed her hand on his shoulder before doing the same to the other, only instead of that one laying on his shoulder, he brought it to his heart, holding it there as he stared down into her eyes. "Please tell me you believe me."

If she had any doubts, they were washed away by the look in his eyes. She knew the new and improved Draco Malfoy better than just about any one – while he could still be a snarky git, he was also a wonderful man that still felt like he was atoning for his youthful transgressions and blindly following of his father. There were very few who got to see his vulnerable side, and it just so happens, she knew, she was one of them. His eyes told her everything he needed and wanted her to know. "Why'd it take us so long to get here?" she posed the question as she snuggled against him, purring when his arms wrapped around her and held her tightly to his chest.

"Because we were stubborn and scared of opening up, given our history both together and apart," he murmured, his lips grazing her forehead.

Rubbing her cheek against his chest, she quietly admitted, "I'm not going to want to ever be without you now."

His lips quirked up in a grin as he pulled back and then leaned down to kiss her. "You will never be lonely again, I promise," he breathed against her lips seconds before he met them with his own.


End file.
